Local police chief Fateh Muhammad reported that the explosion took place near a motorized rickshaw carrying schoolchildren. The blast resulted in the immediate deaths of five children, one police officer, and two passersby. Health department spokesperson Waseem Baig confirmed that some of the injured were taken to a hospital in Quetta, the provincial capital, where two more succumbed to their injuries, raising the death toll.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, but suspicion falls on separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban, both of which have escalated attacks on security forces and civilians in recent months.
At the time of the blast, the police vehicle was en route to a health center to support a nationwide house-to-house vaccination campaign aimed at inoculating 45 million children under the age of five. This campaign was launched in response to a surge in polio cases, with 41 reported in 71 districts across Pakistan this year alone.
The tragedy follows a recent attack on a health center in the Orakzai district, where gunfire erupted during a polio vaccination campaign, leading to the deaths of two police officers and three assailants. Pakistan has long been plagued by violence against health workers and police during vaccination efforts, with terrorists claiming these initiatives are part of a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti condemned the bombing and vowed to continue the fight against insurgents until they are eliminated from the country.
Balochistan has been a hotspot for ongoing insurgencies, with various separatist groups targeting security forces in their demand for independence from the central government. Among them is the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which has also targeted foreigners, including a recent attack that killed two Chinese nationals in Karachi.
As part of China’s multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, thousands of Chinese workers are in Pakistan for major infrastructure projects, leading to increased calls for enhanced security for Chinese nationals in the region.
During a recent seminar, China’s ambassador to Pakistan, Jiang Zedong, urged Pakistani authorities to take action against militants responsible for “unacceptable” attacks on Chinese citizens working on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects, which encompass road construction, power plants, and agricultural initiatives.
In response to these security concerns, a prominent Pakistani hotel chain, Avari, announced that the government had mandated transportation and airport transfers for Chinese guests be conducted via “bomb/bullet-proof vehicles” under security protocols established by hosts or sponsors.
